Mailbag #13: Almost At The Break

RALEIGH, NC. -Happy Sunday, Caniacs.
Yesterday, or rather the last 36 hours as a whole have been interesting, haven't they?
From the team having their travel plans altered post-game Friday, to traveling same-day to New Jersey, the surprise return of Martin Necas, Teuvo Teravainen being unable to go and Jack LaFontaine's first NHL start, there's no shortage of things to talk about.
You all brought plenty of questions (much appreciated) on Twitter, so let's start sifting through them.

I know giving up seven goals in your first NHL start isn't ideal but watching it, it didn't look like he was just getting beat to me. Looked like the Canes were sluggish on getting down to help him, he was surrounded lots of times. What are your thoughts on LaFontaine? - @SpcyChnNugg
Last night wasn't amazing for anybody, so we'll try and brush through this quickly. Was it the best game ever for the team in front of the rookie netminder? No. Would LaFontaine tell you that it was his best game ever? No.
The positive news is that it's just one game. No need to hit the panic button on either the team's 18 skaters that played, nor the netminder.
As for my thoughts? I think it's all still way too soon to tell. Give him a couple games. The team is right around the top of the NHL standings. They have some wiggle room. Making any snap judgments off of one game in a back-to-back with a weird travel situation is not the move.
Carolina will host New Jersey again on Saturday night (Whalers Night!), and we'll see how that one goes.
Why was LaFontaine left in the game as opposed to putting Raanta in for the third period? - @BigBen0397
We're all aware goaltenders are creatures of habit, right? Or at least that's how the saying goes. Entering last night LaFontaine had played 15 minutes of game action in the last two weeks, coming in the fashion of his first NHL appearance and in cleanup duty. Not exactly the rhythm a goaltender would prefer to have. Would he use that as an excuse? No, of course not, but it is just a fact.
So, along the same lines, was putting in Raanta, who hasn't played since January 1, where, oh by the way, he only played 20 minutes, really a better option? He's been working his way back from an injury and I'm not sure a goalie coming back from off the shelf in relief in a one-goal game with one period to play is the correct move.
There are also other potential layers to the situation. Perhaps LaFontaine was told the game was his the whole way from the get-go. If Raanta is in line to get his first start back soon, it probably did not make sense to bring him into action in a game that was 5-4 and still very much so up for grabs.
How's Teuvo Teravainen's lower-body injury? Does he have a timeline to return? - @CoachLMaher
The good news is that it doesn't seem long-term. He participated in warmups Saturday night, but then decided after he wasn't able to go. So, he's close, right?
There wasn't any official update post-game and the team is off today, so we'll likely get an update tomorrow.
What is happening with Ethan Bear? - @iReadWriteSail
I'm guessing this question was written with hopes of an answer with more depth than just "he's been a healthy scratch."
First things first, it's really nice to see the amount of love for Ethan that Canes fans have developed so quickly this season. Secondly, this is the unfortunate situation of having seven defensemen who are able to play in the league. Someone has to sit, right? I don't think I need to offer explanations, but there's zero chance that Jaccob Slavin, Tony DeAngelo or Brett Pesce would be the odd man out. You could probably include Brady Skjei in that group, too. So, who is left? Ian Cole, an incredible veteran presence and fantastic penalty killer, and Brendan Smith, who has shown what he can offer in terms of his physical play and had been putting together a quietly nice stretch of play recently.
You get what I'm going for. It's a hard decision to make. Is it unfortunate that a fan favorite like Bear is sitting? Certainly, I get it. But you can only play six, under normal circumstances.
Do you think the team has already found a perfect sync or can it improve? - @maceci\_2
As long as Rod Brind'Amour is the head coach of the team, there is always going to be an effort to improve. Plus, while I don't have the number specifically, through 38 games, how many has the team had their whole unit? Just off the top of my head, Nino Niederreiter got hurt in the end of October. When he returned in the middle of November, Brett Pesce was out of the lineup. Then the COVID-19 domino effect started.
I think there's probably only really been about ten games or so in which the team has had their whole healthy unit available. Remember how things were going before Nino got hurt? 7-0-0. If they can hit that point again as their "mid-season stride" a think a lot of folks will be happy. I think it's possible.
That's all for this week, crew. Stay warm. I hope to see you at PNC Arena for one of the team's three home games this week.
Not a member of Twitter? We're always happy to take questions at [email protected] as well!
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